Handling A Predicament

Moses and the Israelites found themselves in a predicament. They were trapped at the Red Sea with the pursuing army of Pharaoh behind them and they appeared to have no escape. They witnessed God’s power through the plagues of Egypt and still did not trust God enough to help them in this situation. There are several things we can learn from their situation.

• God’s plans have a purpose. In Exodus 14:4 the Bible records that God had a plan in allowing the Israelites to be trapped by the sea. He knew the mind of Pharaoh and He knew the Egyptians would pursue them to that point. Then the purpose is stated, “and I will be honored upon Pharaoh and all his army, that they Egyptians may know that I am God.” Trust God when you find yourself in a time of trouble. We may not understand at the time — like Abraham may not have understood why he was asked to sacrifice his son. But God’s plan is known to Him and it will work for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28).
• God’s plans are not dependent upon you or me. The Israelites were so afraid they said to Moses that it would have been better for the to stay back in Egypt as slaves. But Moses admonishes them not to be afraid, even in the face of a death trap with an army closing in on them. “Do not fear. Stand still and see the salvation of Jehovah, which He will prepare for you this day.” (Exodus 14:13) The people could have been getting antsy by that point, yet Moses said to stand still — the solution was not dependent upon them. Why? They didn’t need to run or to fight or anything. They needed to let God handle the battle.
• God’s plans must be trusted. The Israelites had seen the plagues of Egypt and all the power that God brought down and yet they did not trust that God would save them. In Joshua 2:9–11, Rahab heard of what God had done for His people in Egypt and she was convinced that He is God and that He would do as He said He would. She had more faith as a heathen than the Israelites had as the children of God. Jesus told Thomas that people are blessed who believe without seeing (John 20:29).
• When you follow God’s plans your faith is strengthened. After the Israelites passed through the Red Sea and the army of Pharaoh was destroyed they looked back at what God had done and realized what God had done for them. Then they feared God (Exodus 14:30–31). We should all be able to look back in our lives and see ways in which we came out better off despite hardship in the moment. Faith brings patience (James 1:2–3) so strengthen your faith so that when those trials in life come, you will have the patience to wait on God and trust His plan.

God’s plans are not dependent upon us. He will accomplish them without us. Our role is to develop our faith on a daily basis so that He can work and possibly work through us when we face predicaments. The size of the problem doesn’t determine how able God is to fix it. He can overcome anything if we simply trust Him long enough.

Based on a lesson by Robert Moss.

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